Ever since I spent a month in India the winter before last, the little tablet which I took with me has assumed I am Indian. Every time I log on, I get MSN’s Indian news, so if you want to know about the latest political scandal in the Congress Party, or hear about Bollywood’s latest, I am your woman. (Yes I know I could probably tinker a bit so I get updates of EastEnders or the weather forecast for Guildford when I log on, but the To Do list is long enough as it is, and it doesn’t really bother me that much.)

Today, though, the tablet was offering me a picture-story about Crete. A very interesting one as it happens, relating as it does to the island-wide water shortage.

Of separate interest is the source of the story, which I haven’t seen in any of the usual-suspect Crete news sources. Not from India: It comes from the English-language version of Xinhuanet (sic) which turns out to be the national news agency of the People’s Republic.

Funny old world, eh, when local news comes from so far away? I told you the Chinese were coming....

I think the aim of the series was to illustrate the difference between March 2015, i.e. the end of winter so presumably a high point for the water level, when the water level was almost up to the roof of the church and now, when the water is hundreds of metres away from the church. Comparing photo 1 with photo 7 I would guess the level is at least 50 m down, possibly more. It might have been better if they had put one of the current ones first in the sequence. I'm told that the dam at Vatolakos is virtually empty but that's because they daren't fill it.

Apparently, it leaks through the bottom and much of the land surrounding it has been sprayed with concrete so that water runs off rather than seems through to the reservoir. That's what I was told when I was by the lake a few weeks ago and areas sprayed with concrete are clearly visible. Water level is very low.

We had a reservoir built this end of the Island a few years ago just a bit to east of Sitia ,on the left of the road as you pass Piskokefalo. before you get to Maronia .as far as I can tell it's never had any water in it... Hi jack thread alert ...sorry Clio..

Not at all, Jeff. I think it's good that we keep every aspect of this subject in our minds, because it's something that affects us all directly or otherwise. There's quite a bit of stuff immediately available on the internet about the reasons for the drought, the remedies, etc. I offer the following for those with a scientific bent to digest and extrapolate, and there's probably lots more hard info to be dug out.